Coin carrier for multiple-vending machines



July 5,1927.

w. c. CUTLER com CARRIER FOR MULTIPLE vrmnma MACHINES F iled Oct. 13.1925 Patented July 5; 1927."

PATENTOF WILLIAM c. curtain, on GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR i o orGLENDALE, CALIFORNIA.

1,634,535 FIC com CARRIER ro MULTIPLErVENDING imcmuus.

Application filed. October 13, 1925.. Serial No. 62,255.

The present invention relatesto selective vending machines for eitherindividual or stacked articles and further pertains to that type oi-machine which includes means for eliminating slugs and foreign coinswhich may Joe employed in attempts to-operate the machine.

Oneof the objects of the, presentinvention is to provide a comparativelysimple vending machine adapted to. vend articles selectively-from aplurality of stack-s.

'Anotherobject ofthe invention is to provide a vending machine in whicha single coin slot may be employed "for a plurality of stacks ofarticles; wherc oy a single arrangement of slug detecting andeliminating devices will serve for any number of article holders or forany'number of stacks of articles.

In the vending of boxed sandwiches, for instance, it is advantageous "toenable the customer to have his selection of several kinds ofsandwiches. Ordinarily, where such requirements. are to he met, itiscus- 'tomary to group several vending machines in one casing with-acoin sletitor each machine or unit. It also he understood that the usualslug ellmi-natorqiequires appreciable space -and'is-cost lyto duplicatein several units E ie-therefore another object of this invention toprovide a mam-ineincludingv several vending units which ancservedbyasinglencoin slot'a nd slug 0111131 7 nator.

Figure 1' is a view in front elevation of i one practical embodiment ofmy invention. Figure 2 is .a View, on a larger scale,- in

vertical cross section thereof.

Figure 31's a view in section one line 33 of Figure 2, taken; at theright hand end of the machine; Figure 4 is avi 47-4401 Figiu'efl, takenait the left hand end of the machine; V

Figure 5 is a view in 5.5 of Figure l.

vMore specifically, the embodiment-Q is provided with a frontv 8 havew'in sectionton a I section onv a line ISABELLA 'III. CUTLER,

ing a sight opening 9 covered bya glas plate:

10, thru which the articles 11 may be seen. The machine further includesa rear casing wall 12,-end Walls l3, a top wall 14- hinged to the rearwall 1-2'as at 14, and a bottom wall 15. Said walls coact'to provide acasing which completely encloses the articles. The back wall 12 carriesa forwardly extending tray 16 having an upright vertical partltionlngwall 17 which provides a'plurality of article holding spaces 18. In eachspace several articles of a given kind are arranged-in a stack as shown,sothat the machine contains several stacks of articles 11, each stackbeing of a diifercnt'brand or ki=nd.- some of the stacks may containthinner or narrower articles; as shown in F igure 1. Y

The tray 16 isprovided with a raised rear portion 19 providing aninverted channel Below the channel 20 there is spaced a coin retainingwall 21', horizontally disposed and provided with a plurality offorwardly diiected'notches 22; A coin carriage 23 is provided, capableof-carrying a coin 24 slidably over the coin retaining wall 21 inupright position. The" carrier in-' cludes spaced members '26 and 27:joined by i a transverse end wall 28to providev a .coin holding spaceopen atthe to pj and-"bottom. The rear member 27 continues above thefront -portic-wnfin an extension-29; and is incltned rearward'ly. Thefront member 26 of the carriage 23 is provided with a rounded surface30. The carriage is adapted to move longitudinally with'regard to the'machine ill-the channel, 20, provided in the tray 16. The carriage R23is also adapted for transverse movement, as will be explained. When-thecoin is in the carriage it projects above front member '26 thereof.-

The extension 29 to the rear of the member '27, is hinged to the rearmember as at 32 and is yieldably depressib-le rearwardly against thepressure of a light spring "33 which normally holds the extension in theposition shown.

Thetray 16 is provided with a plurality of ltransnersexslots 34 which-grac1u-a'lly enlarge at the. rear end as at 35,. The rounded surface30. of the front of member 26 of thecaniiaglc is adapted to enter anyslot 34, and

the rounded surface 30 thereon guides the carriage into a slot as saidcarriage is moved towxrdzthe front .of the machine.

Such a slot as 34 is provided under eachstack of articles. W hen a coinis in the car riage, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper partof the coin willengage the rear edge of an article 11 as the carriage 23 is moved forwardly. If a coin is not in place, forward movementof the carriage willnot cause a package or article to be moved. The carriage can be movedforwardly only when it is alined with a slot 34; a vertical wall 36 ofthe tray acting to prevent such movement.

The coin retaining wall 21 is provided with apertures 37, one for andunder each slot 34 and forwardly of the notches. The carriage 23 isprovided with a rearwardly projecting stud 38 riding in a channel 39carried by the back wall plate 12. From the forward member 26 of thecarriage a rod 40 passes forwardly thru a slot 40 in vthe front wall.Said rod is slidably guided by bearings 41 which are movablelongitudinally of the machine along longitudinal rods 42. The rod 40terminates exteriorly of the casing in a knob 43.

The front wall 8, at a point above the tray 16 turns horizontallyoutward as at 45 to provide a hood. A lower continuation 47 of the frontwall. 21 coacts with the end walls 13, rear wall .12 and bot-tom wall 15respectively to provide a coin receiving space 48. Continuation 47' alsocoacts with hood 45 to provide the discharge chute 49 which chute opensoutwardly of the casing as at 50. The machine is provided with a coinchute 51 which is. directed downwardly and which begins at a slot 52 andterminates above an opening 51 in the wall 19. Said'chute mayv includeslug eliminating devices and the like (not shown) and may include thebranch chute 53 into which slugs and bogus coins (not shown) are di-'rected. The branch chute 53 leads into a returning chute 55 whichparallels the back wall 12 and returns the coin at a slot 56 on the lefthand end of the machine. The coin returning slot 53 has a continuation57 which ends horizontally as at 53, at the right hand end of themachine. The main .coin chute 51 terminates as at 59 above the end 58 ofthe returning chute 53, so that a coin which comes thru the main chute51, and which is not directed thru the branch chute, will fall into saidreturning chute 57 and be returned; unless the coin carriage 23 ispositioned to receive it. i

It will be apparent now that by pushing on the rod 40 longitudinallyofthe machine, the carriage 23 is moved toward the right until saidcarriage is alined with the main coin chute 51.

In such position the rear inclined eXtension 29 of the carriage catchesthe falling coin and directs it into the coin receiving ac; in thecarriage. The, coin is now held from falling thru thecarriage, by thecoin retaining wall 21. When the carriage 23 is not in proper positionthe coin will fall into the returning chute 57 and will be directed backto the customer. To opcrate the machine the rod 40 is moved to the rightuntil the carriage is in place under the chute 51. A coin is inserted inthe coin slot 52 and if it is accepted and passed by the chute it willgravitate into the carria 'e. The carriage is then moved by means of therod 40 until the knob 43 on the handle is alined with the stack ofpackages from which it is desired to obtain an article. Now the rod 40is pulled outwardly so that the forward member 26 of the carriage ridesinto the corresponding slot 34. The coin catches the lowermost articleand moves it forwardly until it is pulled out from under the others. Thepackage now tilts over the ,rod 40 and fallsinto the chute 49. As the 21and falls into the coin receiving space 48. The machine is thenready tobe operated. 4 It will be apparent now that a coin can be used to removeonly one article and it will also be apparent that I have provided forusing a single coin slot in connection with several vending units.Having described my lnventlon what I claim-as new and patentable is; i

1. In a vending machine, a fixed coin chute, a com carrlage movable toany one of a plurality of selective positions; said care riage movableinto position to receive a c'oinfrom said chute, a caslng entlrelyencloslng said chute and carriage respectively, and selecting meansoperable externally-of the casing to move said carriage into suchselective positions. i

2. In a vending machine, a coin chute, a

coin returning chute spaced from said first named chute and disposed toreceive a coin therefrom, a coin carriage movable intocoin receivingposition between said chutes, and a casing enclosing said chutes andcoin carriage, and a selecting handle external to said casing andoperatively connected" to said carriage for moving same.

3. In a vending machine a plurality of vending umts, a. slngle coinchute, and a coin carriage movable to receive a coin from I said chuteand further movable away from said chute to any selected one of thevending units, a casing enclosing the parts named, and a handle operableexternally of said casing to selectively move said carriage.

4;. In a Vending machine a horizontal wall, a coin carriage movable in alongitudinal path over said wall; said carriagealso movable in aplurality of defined paths branching from said longitudinal path: saidcarriage being open at the bottom whereby a coin is held therein by saidwall; said wall being provided with a plurality of apertures, one ineach of said lateral paths, a casing enclosing all the parts named, anda selectively operating handle external to said casing movable tocontrol movement of said carriage; each of said apertures in said wallarranged to permit a coin to fall from said carria e when said carriagepasses over any one or said apertures.

5a In a vending machine, a wall provided with forwardly directed notchesarranged in transverse paths, a shaft extending longitudinally abovesaid Wall, a bearing slidable on said shaft, a rod extended transverselyabovesa-id wall and slidable laterally of the wall 'thru said bearing:said wall formed with apertures: one in each of said transverse paths,and an open-end coin carriage fixed to said rod and movable therewithabove said wall whereby the wall acts as the sole means to retain a coinfrom descent thru the open end coin carriage, and a fixed coin chute sodisposed that the carriage maybe moved under it.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM G. CUTLER.

